For my few and loyal readers I am sorry this took so long to be released this is just a teaser really for the real part two but nonetheless plays a role in the real story line. I promise to get this story completed soon. It would be much appreciated if I could get some ideas from my readers of what you would like to see next, it would most likely be encorporated into the story line.

Anyways a follow up the Essence...

~ Part Two ~

After ending her confession & prayer of sorts, Kida felt a weight lifted from her heart. The words she finally spoke aloud had been a hindrance on her conscience for some time now, she breathed a heavy sigh of release. She knew she had training to attend & be early for that morning, with not much time to spare. She turned back to the deeper water of her wading pool & let her body go limp. As her weight sunk deeper into the water, Kida closed her eyes to allow the delightful cold water cleanse her thoughts. Allowing the cool waves to tingle through her skin, as she had always enjoyed since her younger years, here she was home. When she had been submerged under the water long enough she swam for the surface to gulp in breaths of clean & invigorating Atlantean air. She then swam for the bank, but before retrieving the soap, she stood serenely with the water at her calves. Closing her eyes, she channeled her full senses to her skin as the water droplets ran down her legs arms & around the curves of her chest & stomach. Even as a child she always loved the element of water as it washed or ran across her skin, even with the physical skills she possessed on land, she excelled more so in water. Her parents and close family used to refer to her as the water child, because of her connection to the element, some still did. Grabbing her soap, she quickly washed her hair & body. She then finished by dipping under again to allow the suds to wash away.

Feeling refreshed & invigorated, she clambered briskly back to shore as she squeezed out her masses of pure white hair. It was then that she heard the beating of the drums, as a call to the Guardians to attend, with haste, to the grand courtyard. The low pounding of the sounds echoed down the terraces of Atlantis, reaching the stones on which she stood.

"Shit!" she yelled, "Kaarlokh will destroy me & my muscles after, if I am late."

She quickly pulled around her chest her favored turquoise material & tied her blue & red striped garment about her waist in an Atlantean style knot. Not even bothering with her things she ran, with pounding feet to the sound of the drums, for the Guardian's courtyard. Even with her dripping wet hair she knew it would dry on her run there. Kida also knew if she was late she would get a huge amount of grief from not only Kaarlokh, but from the rest of the men also, whom she knew were already promptly there, such as:

"OOohhh did the princess not get to sleep late enough this morning?"

"I hope you were able to have your feet adequately scrubbed before you left, we wouldn't want that now would we guys?"

Although what she could always count on was Kaarlokh's deep set scowl, that seem to extend to his angular jaw, when she screwed up, which she rarely did. She could not deny to herself that she did find him attractive, but that thought soon evaporated when he would get right into her face to demand twenty more hurdle jumps. Nonetheless she was determined to be better & to outperform the men no matter what it took.

She ran past the sagely door keepers, with their grand streaming and brightly colored feathered staffs & onto the ornately inlayed stone slab ground. Bedecked with conquests and noble battles of ages past the actions of the warriors, Atlantean guardians and symbolic images, their actions and positions were explicitly life like and seemed to move along with a person if they kept up enough speed, which in the Guardian training grounds was a regular occurrence. Even through all of the foot traffic and wear on the wispy and ivory colored stone it held its integrity, ever resilient. There were no safety precautions here, if you fell you fell hard. The fourteen other men were lined up, facing Kaarlokh, in a strict formation. She was greeted by his deep & commanding voice:

"Ahh Princess Kida, you've decided to join us this morning, thankfully not late but cutting it close. Take a stance next to Bekmohl, if you will."

"Just great" she thought, "another lovely way to start my day."

She carried herself with as much confidence as she could muster to the end of the formation, as was her command. Bekmohl's line of sight glanced down his great nose as she skirted by him. He could not help but detect once again that Kida did not wear cloying perfumes and oils as other women did but allowed her natural scent to grace her.

Her gentle but un-missable scent followed her everywhere, not one man or woman could accurately assign a name to the fragrance she carried, only the clean, sweet and green aroma of Atlantean water, just as she loved, would do to describe it. The scent of life and wealth. It instantly brought a peaceful smile to all of those who embraced her, as if they came in contact with a remembered smell from childhood. It always seemed as though her slept in bed sheets did not even need washing for they already smelled off the fresh water they were soon to meet. Missing young children that ran about wild without a care ,in the palace, were most likely to be found sleeping on her couches or curled up covered in her tossed aside robes, thumb comfortingly in their mouth.

Kida loved children just as she loved every Atlantean as a brother and sister. Nevertheless this common occurrence brought a smile to her face as she would bundle up a sleeping child & carry them against her chest, to return him or her to a distraught chambermaid searching for her son, or alternately a cousin of the royal family calling for her willful young daughter.

Even though the men were becoming accustomed to her startling scent, much less the presence of a woman among the Guardians at all. He was undoubtedly attracted to her, what man in their right mind wouldn't be, Bekmohl still loved getting a flaring rise out of this fiery princess. He curiously adored the sound of her strong and quick feet as they brushed and slapped against the marble slab as she took her stance next to his left, it was a strange thing, but her quick steps seemed to echo the pounding of his heart when she was near.

Soon Kaarlokh's startling shout to order rang him out of his hazy thoughts.

"ORDER GUARDIANS, I will not have a mere entrance of personnel disrupt my training area! You will give me your best when you are present before me, physically mentally and otherwise, am I understood?"

"Yes, General Kaarlokh." they chorused

"Excellent, I want to see everyone pair up with a sparring partner, today's warm up shall be interesting I can guarantee you all that..."